Demons at Dawn

Right, well I figured that I would be in for a horror movie, as I sat down to watch the 2022 movie "Demons at Dawn". Actually, I hadn't heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it, so I didn't know what I was in for. But given the movie's cover and it's title, then I figured it would be a horror movie.

Turns out that I was in for a snoozefest of a movie, and there was actually nothing worthwhile to behold here. Needless to say that I didn't stick around to finish watching the movie. I just simply found no enjoyment in the storyline from writer Chris Sanders.

The acting performances in the movie were fair enough, when you take into consideration that the actors and actresses had very little to work with in terms of script, storyline, characters and dialogue. Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. Nor can I can say that I was impressed with what I saw.

Visually then you're not in for anything grand here, should you opt to sit down and watch director Randy Kent's 2022 movie "Demons at Dawn".

My rating of "Demons at Dawn" lands on a generous two out ten stars.

Indie movies are so much fun. A few years back they were often grainy and amateurish. That has all changed in the last five years. Most are so well-filmed, edited, directed, and the acting is so good that they are often better than the productions coming out of the Hollywood movie machines. They are way more creative, and each actor is so invested that they are a joy to watch. I have one criticism of almost all current indie films. It is difficult to find a real story line. They are beautiful, well-acted scenes just hooked together. So that is what you end up watching. Demons at Dawn breaks away from that tunnel-vision trap. It is easy to see what is going on in a linear fashion so that It follows a real storyline. Five minutes into the film, I noticed how well-written it is. It is a most enjoyable film with many highly comic points and excellent effects as our protagonist, fraught with addictions and co dependencies, tries to cancel out his humongous gambling debt in one fell swoop..oh my..he gets a bit side-tracked by scary ?, ?, and ? Wonderful job by all involved! I am fond of many of the actors as I have watched them in other indie works. Good stuff! Entertaining!

Again, this is a movie that lives off its FEW reviews, hiking the numbers up. It is clearly not a 5.8 (at the time of writing) and will continue to go down.

It is a passable movie in all respect, but there are choices in directing, design and writing that puts it just under "ok".

You can tell that this was a passion project for many of those involved, but to call it a "masterpiece" is to give it too much credit.

Th effectwork is plugin-based and the makeup is... I mean, it is interesting, but certainly nothing to write home about.

You can safely give this one a miss, as it is nothing much.

Demons At Dawn is a lot of fun. The cinematography and the sound design are tight. The dialogue and plot of the script is good. There were a few things I felt needed tightening, but overall, these issues are forgivable. Every actor did a fine job and you could see that they were all having a great time making the movie, which adds to the viewing enjoyment.

My favourite performance was from Chris Sanders (the screenwriter and producer) in his role as Levi Saracen. He is very convincing as a cool, cold-hearted mediator between the cult and the victims.

The build-up toward the supernatural, climactic ending worked well.

Although the film is dressed up as fictional entertainment about the supernatural, it addresses real worldwide criminal behaviour in a careful manner. So, it has the potential beyond its entertainment value to encourage dialogue and awareness among viewers.

I am strongly convinced that Chris Sanders, Randy Kent, and all of the team involved in this are talents to keep your eye on because they show promise for great things to come.

So, grab some popcorn, get Demons At Dawn loaded on your favourite streaming platform, don't be judgmental, and enjoy this film for what it is: an indie-horror fun-ride!!

What would you do to clear a debt?

Retired Hitman, Mickey Santini (played by Ben Silver) is drowning in it and Mob Boss ChaoFeng Mei (played by Crystal J. Huang) wants payment in full. Knowing he doesn't have the funds, she sends him on one last hit...and he'll be in the clear. Unbeknowst to him, it'll be his last...or will it? Once there, he locates his target and someone has already taken him out; unsure what do he takes refuge in the house only to be attacked and taken hostage by the supposed killer.

After being interrogated by the killer, things seem to take a strange turn for the worse as robed figures begin appearing in the darkness of night. Being a skeptic and nonbeliever in the supernatural, it takes Mickey some doing. After several unexpected events, he joins forces with his new friend Charlotte (played by Amber Doig-Thorne) whom have taken refuge inside the house to fight the daemonic forces and to survive till dawn.

The buildup of the story and how the finale comes to a head is cooly done, especially when Levi (played by Chris Sanders) comes in and takes the reins.

The plot of the film reminds of one of my favourite UK films, Ben Wheatley's 'Kill List' but on a micro budget and beautifully shot.

The visual effects (ie. Fog, the Interior, & etc.) are class and proper done very natural looking. The special effects, to be honest some worked really well; some you could tell the actors were wearing masks, but the costumes and the gothic decorations kept you in the illusion of the film.

The actors themselves did a wonderful job, aside from a few that could use more work in front of the camera but you could tell that everyone was having a blast and enjoying themselves which is the important part. The camera work and the colours and the way you see England with the cinematography is awe inspiring.

The film was directed by Randy Kent and written by Chris Sanders. Chris has written and directed several other feature films that he has collaborated with Kent. Some of these films include: the upcoming 'Werewolf Cabal', 'The Haunted Studio', and 'Bring Me A Skin For Dancing In'.

Demons at Dawn is Available to watch on Tubi for all of those interested.